Jambalaya

Jambalaya has to be in my top 5 favorite comfort food dishes of all time. It's packed with my favorite proteins and is loaded with layer after layer of flavor. The best part is that everything happens in one pot making for easy cleanup. 

The recipe below includes andouille sausage - a must if you are making authentic Cajun or Creole cuisine. Do yourself a favor, check your local fine foods store, and find some. The video below also sheds a little light on Gulf shrimp and the use of tomatoes in Louisiana cooking. It was the city folk that had access to tomatoes while the county Cajun's kept things OG. So much that even today, there is fierce discussion on whether or not to add 'maters into the mix. It's your thing, do what you wanna do!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined, reserve the shells and tails for stock
1 TBSP butter
4 cups chicken stock
water
1 ½ TBSP light olive oil
12 oz andouille sausage, sliced
1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into chunks
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 jalapeños, deseeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp celery salt
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups long grain white rice
14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes with juice, cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce
1 bunch green onions, diced
½ cup celery leaves, chopped

Remove the shells & tails from the shrimp. Refrigerate the shrimp until needed. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Brown shells & tails and add in 4 cups of chicken stock. Bring to the simmer over high heat, cover loosely, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the stock squeezing out any liquid from the shells & tails. Add water to bring the volume back to 4 cups.

Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add in the light olive oil and brown the andouille sausage on all sides for about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage to a plate and    add in the chicken that have been seasoned with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sear to a golden brown on one side for about 5 minutes. Remove the par cooked chicken thigh and reserve until needed.

Wipe up excess oil with a paper towel leaving 1 ½ TBSP of fat in the pot. Add in the onion and the next 3 ingredients along with a large pinch of Kosher salt. Sweat the vegetables for 10 minutes scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze the brown bits from the pan. Once soft, add in the garlic and the next 7 ingredients. Mix to combine and add in the rice. Toast the rice for 1-2 minutes stirring. 

Add in the stewed tomatoes, shrimp/chicken stock, sausage, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, 1 tsp of Kosher salt, and 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper. Mix, bring to the simmer over high heat, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes until most of the stock is absorbed by the rice. Mix in the shrimp & chicken scraping the bottom of the pot of any browned bits. Cover and continue to cook for another 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and let steam for 10 minutes. Fold in 1 bunch of diced green onions and ¾ of a cup of celery